Best Games for Emotional Development in Preschoolers

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As parents, we understand that social skills are crucial to our young children’s play, development, and future success. While some may think playtime is solely for fun and entertainment, it presents a golden opportunity to foster essential social skills. In this blog post, I will explore how games can be a fantastic tool for developing social-emotional interactions in preschool children. Let’s look into the best games for emotional development in preschoolers. But following rules for this age group might be different than you think!

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What Theorists say:

Psychologists have studied the development of children’s social needs for centuries. Influential theorists like Jean Piaget (, Mildred Parten, and Sara Smilansky have each proposed different stages of play for children from birth to five years old. This post refers to Piaget’s Preoperational Stage, Paten’s Parallel Play, Associative Play, Cooperative Play, and Smilansky’s four types of play. These theorists believe learning to play by the rules is a gradual process and involves an emotional type of play. A young preschooler may struggle to share or follow the rules, but an older preschooler can understand and follow the rules. You can read more about These theorists in my post, Theories of Play for Early Childhood Education.

Why preschoolers need free play:

In early childhood education, it is beneficial for preschool children aged three to four to engage in unstructured play, free play, and the development of their own games. Educators and parents can promote play that focuses on language and emotional skills. Initially, young preschoolers are in solitary play, and play mainly alone, but watching others. They may imitate different roles in non-social play, but as they progress through play experiences, they develop important skills in conflict resolution and language skills. 

This process is not just about following rules, but also about understanding feelings, making friends, and learning to navigate the emotional aspects of social interactions. The following lists provide games and activities that serve as building blocks for a preschooler’s emotional intelligence. In Games Without Rules, the focus is on imitating directions, which is the first step in understanding game rules, and in Games with Rules the focus is on sharing and taking turns.

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Games without Rules For Younger Preschoolers

1. Playdough : 

Using playdough develops eye-hand coordination and the ability to match hand movement with eye movement. This activity is gaining fine motor skills as well by strength and improving dexterity in their hands and fingers, critical areas of physical development for writing and drawing. No tools, stamps, rollers, or other equipment should be used at this stage. Just use the playdough alone, and let the child explore this sensory play experience.

Start by getting some dough in one color, preferably white. At this stage, you and your young preschooler should work separately. Each of you has a lump of dough, which you can roll, squish, and pinch. This is pretty basic. As time passes, start making shapes for your child to squash and ask them to do the same for you. Rolling dough balls can be difficult, so please be patient with them. Rolling snakes is easier.

2. Block Building: 

Get some wooden building blocks and encourage your children to work together one-on-one to build towers in constructive play. These games stimulate your child’s development in creativity and problem-solving skills and cultivate teamwork, negotiation, and compromise. Their social skills will naturally flourish as they communicate their ideas, share responsibilities, and appreciate each other’s contributions.

3. Memory Matching: 

Memory matching games are fantastic for developing concentration skills in a fun and engaging way. Arrange a set of matching cards face-down and take turns flipping two cards at a time to find a matching pair. Start with about 5 matching pairs for the young preschool child, as a whole table full is too difficult. As this becomes easier, start adding additional pairs. They should learn about simple colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. Alphabet or number matching should start with the letters in the child’s first name, with numbers 1 to 5, 1-3 if this is too difficult, and add 1-10 as they progress.  At first, this matching should be done individually and then made into a game with you or one other child. 

4. Sports Equipment:

Starting the official size sports balls are perfect for introducing young preschoolers to games with physical play. But remember, they will NOT be able to follow the game’s rules yet.  During this time, introduce basic movements with the ball. Bouncing for the basketball, kicking for the soccer ball, throwing for the football, and tossing and catching the playground ball. Practicing hitting a golf ball,  or using a fishing set are also great opportunities for social-emotional learning.

Games with Rules For Older Preschoolers

1. Playdough:

Once younger preschoolers have been introduced to the basics of dough with one color, older preschoolers are ready for cutting, sculpting, and rolling dough. They will enjoy stamping cubes, textured rolling pins, and wheel presses.  They are also ready for multi-colored dough, yet it’s still best to give one color at a time when they are beginners. Mixing dough can be really fun! As they approach kindergarten, these preschoolers will be ready for modeling clay as well. White Air Dry clay is so easy, can be left out to dry, and then can be painted with craft paint when dry. 

Using playdough develops eye-hand coordination and the ability to match hand movement with eye movement. This activity is gaining fine motor skills as well by strength and improving dexterity in their hands and fingers, critical areas of physical development for writing and drawing.

2. Block Building:

Older preschoolers are ready for interlocking blocks for building. Legos, waffle blocks, and magnetic tiles are perfect. These older preschoolers are ready to create structures with a plan and with a group of others. These social-emotional interactions are important for building language and literacy abilities. When preschoolers are constructing successful creations, it builds self-esteem and confidence. Parents need to be supportive and set their children up for success.  When building specific items, such as a boat or a house, preschoolers usually declare what they are building, which is called symbolic play. This symbolic play is an important milestone in their child’s development. 

3. Memory Matching Game: 

Memory matching games are fantastic for developing turn-taking and concentration skills in a fun and engaging way. Arrange a set of matching cards face-down and take turns flipping two cards at a time to find a matching pair.  Concentrate on learning the letters in their first name; the letters of their last name can be added, and slowly add additional letters once these are mastered. While watching other children, preschoolers will also learn the letters in their friend’s names.  More complicated memory games can be added as the child progresses. As children take turns, they learn patience, how to wait for others and the importance of fair play. This game also encourages conversation, as they discuss the location of the cards and help each other remember. 

4. Sports Equipment:

Now that your toddler has the basic moves down, it is time to introduce some accessories during physical activity. Some outdoor play includes a basketball hoop, soccer net, T ball set, fishing pole, It will soon be time to sign your preschooler up for youth sports like tee ball, soccer, football, golf, 

Conclusion:

Games offer a fun and interactive way for children to enhance their social skills. Preschoolers can learn important lessons about communication, teamwork, empathy, and problem-solving during play. Make time for games and watch your child’s social development and confidence grow. The best part is that you can actively participate in their social development journey!? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below. Let’s create a nurturing environment where our children can thrive socially and build meaningful connections early on.

References:

Toy Safety Guidance for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

Developmentally Appropriate Toys: What and Why are they Important?

Whole child Education: What is the Approach to Teaching?

Consumer Product and Safety Commission 

I value your input and comments tremendously! Please let me know if there is anything else I should include in this blog post! Until my next post, Keep Everything Simple. Talk with you soon!